Summer After Year Six
by madlodger
Summary: TOP DRACO, BOTTOM HARRY SLASH. Elf Draco is not a wizard, he is much more. Harry is just himself. This is a dark love story with many twists. Hetero Goblins kissing, comatose people and more. It begins right after book 6, ends before year 7.
1. Welcome to Adulthood, Draco

**Title: Summer After Year Six.**

**Author:** madlodger

**Rating:** NC-17

**Pairings:** Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione, Pansy/(will find out later)

**Feedback:** Concrit welcome (Constructive Criticism:)

**Beta's:** Slashy Snitch

**Disclaimer:** This is all J.K.Rowling's fault. What did she think was going to happen, selling ten billion copies of fantasy fiction to highly imaginative people. I do not own any characters from her books, I only borrow them to play with. Sadly no money is being made out of my fanfiction.

**Summary:** This story will be Draco/Harry slash with some minor mention of Hetero pairings. It takes place after book 6, Draco turns 17 on June 5, Harry- July 31st. The lemon won't happen for a while but it will happen. Pansy is Draco's best girl friend (but not a girlfriend). I am tired of reading Pansy bashing as well as Ron and Hermione being killed off. It won't happen here. Voldemort is still at large. Dumbledore is still dead. The fic is mostly Canon compliant but some discrepancy will occur. The story ends before year 7.

Concrit is welcome, this is my first fic and I am trying to improve.

**Chapter warnings:** Pile of naked teens, Solo male action, Attempted non-con, Girl as a friend

* * *

Chapter 1: **Welcome to Adulthood, Draco.**

Draco was not a happy Elf. Well, maybe he was happy some days; being the only heir of one of the oldest -and wealthiest- Elvin lines, but even getting 100 galleons a week allowance can't guarantee total happiness. You see, Draco was deprived of the most basic freedom, the freedom even 17 year old goblins and trolls possess, and that is the freedom to his brains out with as many willing partners as possible. And with Draco's Elvin good looks, they would line up around the block, no doubt.

Only, that was not possible at all. Not possible until getting properly married, that is.

Elves were amongst the most powerful beings across all known realms, far outstripping wizards in that regard, but certain rules should be followed and traditions observed -or the power lost.

Presently, Draco was writhing and moaning, entangled in the shimmering, blue silk sheets of his grand platform bed. The same old dream captured the young man, more vivid then ever.

In the dream he was completely naked, the same way he slept, and in his own room. The bed was impossible to see, so many...

EDITED FOR ADULT CONTENT

Just like that, Draco was ripped out of Dream Heaven and thrown into the Hell of Early Morning Reality.

* * *

"!!!!" Draco mumbled, staring at the high ceiling of his huge brand new bedroom. Early morning sun poured in through the tall, open windows, reflecting off matte gold finish; lighting the room with happy golden glow. Strangely, the house elves neglected to shut the window curtains last evening. _'Oh!!!!, there are no house elves in this place...' _

So hot, ready to boil over, blue silk clinging to the sweaty body. Draco crawled over to the dry spot and settled high into the fluffy, blue pillows; long legs spread wide, wet skin cooling off. _'I never get to go all the way; Merlin, damn it! Not even in the !!!!!!! dream'_ Draco oozed with disappointment.

EDITED FOR ADULT CONTENT

... "Mmmm...", he growled. Draco closed his eyes and imagined the slender body of his dream. Gently curved back; slender arms. So delicate. The person was on their knees; all Draco could see was dark, messy hair, down to their shoulders...

EDITED FOR ADULT CONTENT

. _'That looked a lot like Pansy. In her witches disguise. !!!! .'_ He remembered the first time he'd seen the said disguise, like it happened yesterday:

* * *

**First year, Hogwarts Express. The train started moving towards Draco's new freedom, leaving parents behind for the first time. Eleven year old Draco was ecstatic. Oh, the fun he planned to have. He stalked down the corridor looking for Crabbe and Goyle, who were supposed to secure a compartment for the three of them. Someone tapped him on the back. Draco turned around and looked the short, dark haired witch up and down. **

**"Yes?" he sneered. _'Damn plebeians, touching already.'_ Draco mentally shuddered. He was not used to being around non-elves, but knew well about their inferiority. **

**"Could you help me, sir," she whimpered in a small voice, batting blue eyes helplessly and pouting slightly. Cute, upturned button nose and short dark hair, cut into a shic bob. She really was kind of cute, in a lost puppy kind of way. Draco always wanted a puppy. **

**"What can I do for you?" **

**"I am not feeling too good." Little witch swayed on her feet and leaned on Draco for support. He blinked at the fluffy, dark head on his chest and realized how much he liked it. Elves looked much the same; with their tall, pale bodies and long blonde hair and blue eyes. This was new and much more interesting. Draco patted the helpless puppy on its head. **

**"You can sit with us," he decided and started moving down the corridor again, pulling his new pet with him. Crabbe opened the nearby compartment's door, looking out for Draco. Draco stepped in and pushed the little girl inside. **

**"Sit." **

**She timidly sat down, whimpering a bit. Crabbe and Goyle stared at her from the opposite seat, huge like boulders. Draco sat with them. **

**"My name is Draco. What's yours?" **

**"It's...it's..." She squeaked, looking intimidated and covering her cute puppy face with trembling hands. **

**"Yes?" **

**The little witch inhaled and straightened out, gracefully lowering small hands into her lap. She looked Draco straight into the eye and sneered. **

**"Pansy!" she exclaimed in the oh, so familiar, low confident voice. **

**Draco's jaw hit the floor. Crabbe started shaking on his left. Pansy raised a dark eyebrow, sharp eyes glowing in mirth. **

**"Were you going to train me, Draco? Honestly! _Sit_?" **

**Crabbe kept shaking, like a human size earthquake, pressed to Draco's side. **

**"Pansy?!?" **

**Pansy finally dropped back into the seat and started laughing like a maniac. **

**"Ha, ha, ha! One... Ha, ha, ha! One and... ha, ha... only!" **

**"You were supposed to be home schooled!" **

**"Yeah, that... ha, ha, ha... had changed." **

**"Parents came home?" **

**"Oh, no." **

**"Oh, shit! _YOU_ did it! _YOU_ enrolled yourself!" **

**"Of course!" Pansy started laughing again. **

**"Genius! What about the tutor?" **

**"Dismissed." **

**"Who did your disguise?" **

**"Auntie Martha, of course... ha, ha... one and only!" **

**Draco started laughing now, his chest swelled with pure happiness. He jumped to her seat and hugged his best girl friend. He could not believe she'd done it. Pansy was always smart and mature for her age but, this was impressive on a whole different level. Maybe her parents being always away helped that. Draco was jealous of that fact, he only wished he had all that freedom. Lucius did not approve of their friendship, thinking Pansy too low on the Elvin Pureblood Scale, but this was the only thing his son did not budge on. Lucius left it alone for the time being, too preoccupied by Elvin-human politics and keeping a double life in a wizard's disguise. **

**"You've really changed yourself!" **

**"This is exactly the way I want it." **

**"And I thought Crabbe and Goyle went overboard." Draco and Pansy looked across at the two large boys, shaking in silent laughter. Crabbe had tears pouring down his pudgy face. **

**"That was a good one, Pansy!" Goyle was able to annunciate. **

**"I think... ha, ha, ha... I peed in my pants!" Crabbe squeezed out. **

**Everybody started laughing again from the simple fact of being reunited. It dawned on Draco that this is the happiest he had ever been. 'This is going to be the best year ever! The four of us together. Perfect!'**

* * *

_'There is no way I could be pure after this,'_ Draco decided. He reached to the white marble bedside table, grabbed his wand and waved it, pointing at himself; sending a silent incantation. His sticky skin tingled and glowed pure white, tiny white sparks raising from the surface, almost as if the young man was an elf-shaped sparkler. 

"Amazing, still pure."

Smiling, Draco hopped off the mess his bed had become and went to the bathroom; dying sparks following the boy in a long trail. Draco showered and dressed in light summer robes. He was very thirsty now from all the late night drinking.

Draco stood, staring at the empty breakfast table for a good three minutes before accepting the fact that there really were no house elves. He could handle that. He was not a child anymore. Modern, state of the art elvish kitchen, welcomed the hungry youth with bright morning light. After some experimenting; Draco managed to make himself a tray with a coffeepot, a milk jug (nonfat, of course) and some slightly burned cinnamon raisin toast.

Draco took the tray to a Talk Corner, located in the corner of his bedroom. He placed it on a white marble coffee table and sat down on a blue velvet couch. The clock on a wall across from him, read 7:30. Draco picked up 'The Teenage Elf's Survival Guide' by Tinny Bullwiggle, from the side table and stretched on the couch, munching on toast and turning pages of his all time favorite book.

"...Imperative to stay pure until bonding... blah, blah... Do not engage in reproductive sex- we know... Impregnating an unbound partner will result in the permanent loss of magical power potential from 47 and up to 68 due to inability to enter the final stage of individual magical pathway development known as 'The Great Leap'."

As always, Draco shuddered, hating the idea of a person stuck in the state of childhood powers forever._'Depressing !!!! .'_ He turned some more pages through the well worn book.

'To maximize your final power development, an Elf and their partner should be at the maximum purity level at the time of marital bond ritual. Any loss of purity on either side will result in a corresponding loss of powers for both parties involved... 'still depressing'... In order to achieve maximum purity it was always believed that no sexual contact of any kind or solo action should occur prior to The Great Leap bonding ceremony. Modern research, however, has unveiled certain loopholes which could be used to the advantage of teenage Elves around all Elven Realms... 'Aha, getting to the good stuff...'.

Draco got busy rereading his favorite part about pros and cons of said loopholes. 'The Guide' was his obsession for the last two years, ever since Pansy gave it to him for his fifteenth birthday. The book was disguised as 'Pureblood lines of First Realm' and Draco kept it on his bedside table, to his parents total satisfaction.

Due to the knowledge from the book, the young Elf was receiving !!!!!!!! for two years now, from the witches and wizards of Hogwarts. Never from an Elf and never twice from the same person. No genitals touched. He preferred to not even know their names to avoid any sort of emotional involvement or, Merlin forbid, love. Because of this attitude he was named 'The Ice Prince of Slytherin' and received undeserved recognition as Sex God. Way too many people had told inflated stories about those one-sided encounters.

* * *

The clock chimed eight times. Draco dropped the book on the floor and sat up, facing Talk Mirrors. Three high definition, large and tall, Talk Mirrors stood not a four feet away, reflecting Draco, the coffee service and a blue-white tapestry behind the couch. The elf pointed at the middle one and said: "Pansy's Corner!" 

Immediately the mirror lit up and shown the reflection of Pansy's Talk Corner, all done in black and silver. Powerful drums could be heard from the other side, letting Pansy know who was calling. Draco had all three mirrors set to double the size of persons he was talking to and the maximum visual clarity. He knew that Pansy's were just regular 1:1's and much smaller, but she had five of them.

"Coming!" Pansy's low voice shouted from the distance.

Draco poured himself a second cup and sat back, sipping the heavenly hot liquid.

In five minutes Pansy appeared in the mirror, wearing a black bath robe and holding a steaming cup in her graceful hands; shining gold hair loose, falling down to the narrow waist like a powerful waterfall. Draco took a minute to admire the beauty in front of him. Pansy, for the lack of a better word, was stunning. She stood six feet tall, as any regular Elvin female, but her looks were not regular at all, and were the object of envy from other women.

Her healthy pale, pink skin, was tight and absolutely unblemished, the figure slender with mind blowing curves and zero fat, and on top of it, Pansy had a face of an angel. Everything about her was glowing, from rich hair and huge dark blue eyes to the last perfect toe.

* * *

**Only when Draco became fifteen did he understand why his best girl friend had changed appearance so drastically to go to Hogwarts. She made herself short and changed her hair to dark and short also. Her facial features were adjusted slightly to make them just average, while still recognizable, and the Elvin healthy glow was reduced to that of a normal witches. The only thing Pansy never changed were her intelligent eyes. _'Eyes are the windows of one's soul, they are all I need to represent myself.'_ she had explained to Draco. **

**He had to agree. He did not change his light silver orbs either, but not for any deep philosophical reason, he was just in love with his looks too much. The boy changed his pointed ears to human shape, like they all did, but other things did not change much. He had himself shrank a bit and became a bit skinnier and pointier, reduced skin and hair glow and left his face almost untouched. That caused a lot of problems with him attracting tons of unwanted attention from girls and many of the boys. The older Draco became the more problems came his way and keeping purity inviolate, became a daily struggle. **

**Draco worked hard to prove himself for things other than looks. He became a number one student, with Mudblood Granger close behind, and a number two All School seeker, being bested big time by Perfect Potter. The young elf was additionally involved in his fathers Wizarding Politics, believing that it was a good learning experience for a future political career. **

**In the end, none of it mattered, and Draco came a hairs width close to losing his purity on a cold November night. **

_**He was sixteen and they just barely won the Slytherin/Ravenclaw match, by ten points. Ravenclaws used their wits to the full advantage; playing a shockingly dirty game. They had correctly deducted that Cho Chang had zero chance to win against Draco's superior skill and centered on winning by points instead. To achieve that, they apparently figured out how to cause fake fouls. Foul happened after foul, and penalties kept mounting, pissing Draco off big time. He figured out what was going on early in the game and was aggressively hunting down the Snitch. He cut it, barely, while the next foul was in the making; winning by a pathetic ten points. **_

_**Slytherins had thrown a huge party in the Slytherin's common room. Draco was too worn-out to enjoy the festivities fully. He had a couple of drinks and finally was able to diplomatically disentangle himself from more and more obnoxious admirers, and slip away to his own room. Being a Prefect, he used the option of having his own room and relished this extra privacy. **_

EDITED FOR ADULT CONTENT

* * *

_**Pansy was sitting on her bed, holding a colorful magazine in one hand and a glass of pink wine in another. Half eaten, open box of Honeyduke's Squeaky Cherry Chocolates and a half empty bottle of wine sat on the bedside table. She was pretty drunk, and her black silk pajama top hung open. Pansy practiced wandless magic, staring intently at the picture in the magazine and muttering under her breath. Nothing seemed to happen. **_

EDITED FOR ADULT CONTENT

_**They sat like that for a minute, blinking at each other, breathing hard. Pansy looked down Draco's body, and performed the only wandless spell she could do well. He glowed pure white, pretty white sparks flying off hot skin, lighting the bed with soft light. The boy moaned in relief and collapsed into Pansy's open arms. She guided the boy's heavy body to the side, pulled the top blanket completely around his limp form and held her friend tight. **_

_**"So, Draco," she said contemplatively, when Draco's breathing slowed down, " am I still a paranoid mother type for turning your candlestick into a Portkey?"**_

* * *

Pansy gently sat on the black leather couch of her Talk Corner, holding a large silver cup with both hands. Her collection of ancient silver vases shone brightly behind her back. They stood out prettily against black walls. 

"Good morning, love!" Draco said cheerfully.

"Shhh, not so loud..." Pansy's eyes were painfully squinted.

"Sorry," Draco whispered. "You did get sick, huh?"

"Of course. You know I'm allergic to alcohol."

"What's in the cup?"

"Purifying herbal tincture."

"So, what's new?" Draco asked lazily.

"Since yesterday? Hmmm... My parents are still away..."

"As usual. Where to now? I forget."

"Oh, let's see... Father is in The Fifth Demon Realm and mother at the Seven Seas Golden Resort."

"Nice! I was going to spend my honeymoon there."

"In the Demon Realm?" Pansy teased.

"Depends on who I will end up married to. Being eaten alive by demons does sound like a good idea right now."

Pansy started quietly laughing, wincing a bit.

"I see you looked through The Album already."

"Of course I did. Worse birthday present ever." Draco hung his head. He spent half of the night looking through the Elvin bride directory before throwing the disgusting thing into a wall with a scream and collapsing onto fluffy pillows.

"I feel for you, sweetie. Are the girl selections as bad as the boy's ones?"

"Worse! I got 198 options and the only one I can stand for more then five minutes is you. Dear Pansy, will you marry me?"

"Right, like your father will ever let that happen."

"We'll elope!"

"Draco, gross, you are talking incest here!"

"We aren't _really_ related!"

"You are the baby brother I never had."

Draco choked on his coffee. He wiped his chin with a blue linen napkin and screeched indignantly: "By three months! I am only younger by _three_ months!"

"Indeed!" Pansy shook her pretty head and smiled indulgently. "Such tempers those youngsters have." She swallowed some of her revitalizing herbal tea and became serious again. "Draco, you know perfectly well that your father will not accept anyone below top ten and I am not even in the top hundred."

Draco knew it all too well. Pansy's ancestors did practice The Old Ways too long. They insisted on the old Soul-mate Binding a long time after The Reform. Because of it, Pansy's line was contaminated with the blood of Veela, Goblins and even Mundane Wizards more then others. Her auntie Martha was rumored to have bound herself to a centaur. No one had actually met him and all nine of Pansy's cousins looked absolutely normal. Parkinson's grandfather finally accepted The Reform and married at seventeen and up, by the Album. He was so far down the list that money had to exchange hands. His son did the same and Pansy's position was calculated as 113. Draco happened to be the number two on the list, making him the butt of Pansy's jokes since she received her Album three months ago.

They drank from their cups quietly, Draco looking at Pansy's shiny vases and Pansy down at the tea cup. She downed the last of it and set the empty cup on the small coffee table in front.

"Do you realize that I only have 167 boys in my Album? We have a 31 men shortage this year."

" I know. We don't need to worry though, I am in the Top Ten and you already have three stalkers, Miss Beatiful."

"One for every month of adult life." Pansy said bitterly. "But I wonder what is going to happen to 31 girls who can't find a husband."

"They'll find someone."

"Like who?"

"A widower, perhaps or an elf from another realm."

"Urgh! Things just don't make sense anymore. They did not have this problem in the olden times."

"All they cared about in the olden times was soulmates! You could have an Ogre for a mate, how'd you like that!?"

"Maybe..."

"Yes?"

"If they were REALLY a soulmate then maybe it wouldn't BE so bad."

Draco sat up sharply and pierced Pansy's dark blue eyes with his own light gray ones.

"What is going on?" He demanded.

"Nothing." She answered innocently.

"You know better then lying to me, Pansy!!!"

"Merlin, you sound just like your father right now."

"I resent that! But Pans... Are you interested in someone?"

"Perhaps."

"WHO IS NOT IN THE BLOODY ALBUM?!"

"Draco..."

"You know how much trouble you'll be in if they find out? Who is it? Someone from Hogwarts? A WIZARD?"

"Calm down!"

"I can't! You'll get yourself banned out of realm and I'd have no friends!"

"You have Crabbe and Goyle."

"They are nothing like you!"

"I think I am going to talk to Auntie Martha."

"She is- what- 500 years old!"

" Exactly! She has wisdom." Pansy stood up. "I've got to go."

"STOP! V-CHECK!"

The young girl wandlessly whispered an incantation, not taking her eyes off Draco's. Her beauty became unearthy in the intense white glow. Pansy raised her golden eyebrow pointedly and disconnected their mirrors.

* * *

**THE END OF CHAPTER 1.**


	2. Two goblins in DA Diagon Alley

**Title: Summer after year six.Author: madlodger**

**Rating:** NC-17

**Pairings:** Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione, Pansy/(will find out later)

**Feedback:** Concrit welcome (Constructive Criticism:)

**Beta's:** Slashy Snitch

**Disclaimer:** This is all J.K.Rowling's fault. What did she think was going to happen, selling ten billion copies of fantasy fiction to highly imaginative people. I do not own any characters from her books, I only borrow them to play with. Sadly no money is being made out of my fanfiction.

**Summary:** This story will be Draco/Harry slash with some minor mention of Hetero pairings. It takes place after book 6, Draco turns 17 on June 5, Harry- July 31st. The lemon won't happen for a while but it will happen. Pansy is Draco's best girl friend (but not a girlfriend). I am tired of reading Pansy bashing as well as Ron and Hermione being killed off. It won't happen here. Voldemort is still at large. Dumbledore is still dead. The fic is mostly Canon compliant but some discrepancy will occur. The story ends before year 7.

Concrit is welcome, this is my first fic and I am trying to improve.

**Chapter warnings:** Hetero goblins kissing, Charmed Bracelets.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Two goblins in DA (Diagon Alley)**

The warm afternoon sun lit up pastel-colored walls of shops in Diagon Alley and heated up uneven gray cobblestones. Witches and Wizards walked up and down the street, talking, laughing and going about their shopping as if nothing had changed. It was almost unnaturally peaceful considering the fact that the great and powerful Dumbledore, vanquisher of Dark Wizard Grindewald, was buried less then a month ago and that the Hope of The Light Side Harry Potter had lost most of his powers.

Everybody was aware of Dumbledore's passing but the problem with a Savior was kept tightly under the wraps by the Ministry. No information leaked through the press due to the gag order from Rufus Scrimgeour himself. The most ridiculous rumors circulated around though, the worst being that Harry Potter had met a French Veela, surrendered completely to her control and left the country. The truth was worse then any of the rumors simply because it destroyed any hope. The Light Side did not have a leader; the Savior, although not dead, was reduced to the magical level of a first grader at Hogwarts.

"Hermione, slow down!"

"It's _Hermita_ to you, _Runkill_"

"Well, _Hermita_, slow down! These short legs are driving me crazy. I mean, I keep moving them and moving them and hardly move forward at all."

The small ugly goblin in front had stopped and turned around, eyes flushing angrily. It was likely a female judging by her longish fuzzy brown hair and a gorgeous shiny charm bracelet she wore. Of course it is hard to tell with the goblins and men wear charm bracelets as often as females nowadays. She crossed her short stubby arms and tapped her abnormally long feet impatiently, waiting for the male goblin to catch up.

* * *

The Charmed Bracelet Fad had started at Hogwarts last September with Padma and Parvati Patil wearing them one morning. Parvati's bracelet was woven out of two flat cords, one Gryffindor red and another golden color. The cords formed two kinds of flat pretty knots, alternating all the way around. She had two small shiny charms attached to the bracelet. It was really very pretty and charms kept tinkling every time the beautiful girl had moved her hand. 

Padma's bracelet was almost identical but made out of Ravenclaw blue and bronze colored cords. One of the knots looked exactly like the one of the two on Parvati's bracelet, the other did not. She also had two charms clipped to hers.

This caused an immediate excitement amongst all the girls. Padma and Parvati smiled mysteriously and kept rolling their robe sleeves up to show the bracelets off. The Divination club pulled out some books on charmed bracelets. They were able to identify the meaning of the knots by the Dinner time. The one that both sisters had the same turned out to be a Love Magnet knot, which was supposed to make the Wearer of the bracelet attracted to the Giver of it. The noise in the Great Hall had reached all times high and resonated off the high ceiling.

Ron was annoyed beyond belief. He could not stand high pitch female screeching for very long. This was ruining his appetite. Ron looked at Harry to his left. The boy sat with a look on his face as if he had a toothache. Hermione, seated across from both boys, kept staring at the page of _Ancient Runes in Modern Times_ with a blank expression, not taking anything in.

Ron's eyes slid from Hermione to Lavender's cleavage. Lavender was talking very fast to a group of enraptured females down the table, all Ron could make out was: "Beauty Charm, this one...no more pimples...Clip it to the bracelet..." The girls kept saying "Oh!" and "Aww!" Lavender's large chest shook with every excited hand motion she made to punctuate her statements.

Ron shook his head and returned his clear blue gaze to Hermione's intelligent brown ones. The boy raised eyebrows questioningly and she nodded. "Let's go!" Hermione said. All three of them got up and hastily slapped together some sandwiches, grabbed their belongings and left, Ron snatching a jug of pumpkin juice in the last moment.

In two weeks charmed bracelets were all over the place. People gave them as tokens of friendship and affection. It was almost impossible to ask a girl out without presenting her with a Bracelet or a new Charm. Charms were given for birthdays and any special events. Long lists on types of Bracelet knots and Charms variety circulated around the school. The sure proof of charm's action was the fact that both Patil sisters had absolutely clear skin and they both owned at least one Beauty Charm.

Some boys started sporting bracelets done in their House Colors also. They clipped Confidence, Strength and Sex Appeal charms to theirs. The Charms and Bracelet Stand appeared in Hogsmeade overnight with a shady looking old wizard running it, his business was booming.

Ron thought this hilarious. 'There is no limit to people's stupidity!'

He knew for a fact that Padma and Parvati had perfect skin BEFORE they had worn the infernal things. The boy laughed at the rumors, the best one being that it was the same young wizard, Anthony Goldstein, that had given bracelets to Patil sisters. Ron also knew that real charmed bracelets are supposed to be made out of three alternating knots, not two. They were custom made for each Wearer and cost a lots of galleons. Real Charms were very expensive also and were made out of gemstones and precious metals, only the kinds that could amplify the Earth Magic.

In fact, people who could afford the real thing did not wear any bracelets at all. Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, as well as Crabbe and Goyle, had worn their watches or nothing and Ron had to agree with them, however he hated the idea. Harry, Ron and Hermione would not touch stupid things with a twelve inch wand, not to mention wearing them.

Somehow not wearing bracelets made the Golden Trio even more popular since people believed them all to be single. Ron secretly decided then that if he would ever give anything like that to a person it would have to be a real thing.

* * *

The ugly male goblin had finally stopped in front of Hermita, breathing heavily and looking her up and down. 

"Well, I expect this will put a stop to all of your 'shorty' jokes, right, _Runkill_?" She asked acidly.

"Hmpfff..."

"You bound to feel more sympathetic now!" She pressed.

Runkill frowned and started slowly walking in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. Hermita moved by his side. "Why do we have to go as goblins, anyway?" He asked after awhile, "We could of gone as vampires or elves," he wiggled his hips "looking hot!"

"According to _'Make Yourself Stand Out'_ survey goblins attract the least attention, people hardly give them a second look."

Ron was painfully aware of that fact without reading any surveys. He felt as if he was wearing the invisibility cloak ever since taking the four hour Polyjuice Potion and Apparating to the Diagon Alley. He started laughing hysterically at the sight of Hermione until he turned towards the shop window and saw his own reflection. The laughing stopped abruptly and the boy was in a bad mood ever since.

The fact is that Ron had grown into a very attractive young man. He was an even six feet tall now and his formerly lanky teenage body had filled out with solid muscle, thanks to the additional Quidditch training he'd done all last year. He grew out his flaming red hair and had it cut in layers to resemble a lions mane. It looked incredibly flattering and made his clear blue eyes charged with mischief stand out. That and his long lion-like masculine nose and full sensual smile made females between the ages of twelve and one hundred turn their heads as if he was a magnet and to look him over - and over - and over again.

Ron looked almost as hot as Bill did before his injuries. In fact all Weasley boys grew up very good looking and with that and Fred and George's success in the joke business, being a Weasley had suddenly become popular and even associated with money and success. Being purebloods had probably played it's role, also.

The young wizard did not realize just how much he 's gotten used to being checked out by female population until all attention disappeared. Diagon Alley was not that crowded on the first Thursday of July. Witches and Wizards just kept walking by, not sparing a glance at the dark and wrinkly goblin couple. Two attractive witches in their mid-twenties walked out of Ice-cream Parlor and crossed to the Slim Down Potions Shop right in front of little goblins, nearly knocking them over, and just kept going.

Ron got angry. 'Wonder if Hermione feels the same?' he thought, eyeing his girlfriend sideways. "Hey, Hermita!"

"Yes?"

"I think I am a deviant."

"Oh. How so?"

"Well, I think that you are cute as a goblin. Does that make me a goblin lover?"

"Runkill! _A goblin lover_ is a horribly rude thing to say!"

"But I AM your lover and you ARE a goblin!" He egged her on.

"Hmpft!" She sped up, making him almost jog by her side. They kept walking quietly for a while.

"Hey, Hermita!"

"Yes?"

"Do you realize that we are the same height now?"

"Most goblins are."

"Yeah... Well, it does put us on the same level." He contemplated.

"Hardly!" She cut him off.

Ron leant to her pointy ear and whispered seductively: "That's not what I meant."

Hermione's ear tingled and she blushed, which in the goblin's body made her turn almost purple. "Do you think about anything else beside sex these days?" She whispered back.

"Food?"

"Food and sex! You should have gone as an ogre. Perfect fit, Runkill." They walked some more before Ron started anew.

"I actually just meant kissing. Being of the same height, you know. Are you aware that bending down all the time does hurt my neck?"

"Oh, really?"

"Really! And now we can just lean forward and kiss forever!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"Well...I am not sure that I want to kiss a GOBLIN, Runkill."

"Oh, I see!" Ron said, sounding insulted, "It is not ME you want, It is my gorgeous BODY, after all!"

"Oh, FINE! But only as an experiment!"

"Of course! A scientific data gathering on Goblin's lips flexibility." Ron started laughing. They stepped into the dark alley around the corner. Ron leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on Hermione's goblin lips. "Wow! They are really soft!"

"True."

Both of them leaned forward now and started kissing again. This was unlike any other kiss they shared before. The goblin's mouths were relatively large and their faces shaped more forward then regular humans. The lips themselves were thin and incredibly soft. Ron and Hermione carefully massaged each other's lips, savoring new sensations. Faint tingles started where their skins touched and were slowly spreading around.

EDITED FOR ADULT CONTENT

"EWWWW! OH DEAR MERLIN!! EWWWWW!!!"

Ron and Hermione sprang apart as they were thrown back into reality. A flock of cute teenage witches stopped at the alley entry and stared openmouthed at the disgusting display of horny goblins out of control. Ron's heart fell as well as his erection when he realized that he knew them all from Hogwarts. They were third, no, fourth years now and spent most of last year hanging around Quidditch players, making passes at Ron and Harry and giggling.

_'Oh !!!!, they know me!'_ His blood turned cold. Ron looked at Hermione. She stood with a dazed look on her completely purple face, totally ruffled and shockingly unable to speak. Ron's eyes turned back to distraught fourth years. One small girl was green and ready to vomit. _'They don't know who I am!'_ Occurred to him. The relieved young wizard smiled widely, blatantly checking them out. He then took his girlfriends dark clawed hand and exposed the bracelet, showing it off. "We just got engaged!" He shouted, hugged his love's shoulders and steered them both out of the alley passed scandalized teens. Two little goblins started walking fast down the Diagon Alley. Sounds of puking could be heard in their wake.

"Engaged, huh?" Hermione finally asked.

"Well...Do you accept?"

"YES!"

"GOOD!"

They started smiling and finally broke out into uncontrolled mad goblin cackling. Life was great again, the sunshine bright. The only time Ron felt happy like this happened two weeks ago, exactly on Friday the thirteenth:

* * *

Ron and Ginny just got home from Hogwarts. With Bill so hurt and things so depressing, Weasley family stuck together. All boys except for Percy were at The Burrow that day. Family unity never felt so strong. In the morning Ron was approached by Fred and George. 

"We got you a present, little bro." Said Fred.

"What for?" Ron asked, half awake.

"For the Quidditch cup, baby brother!" George explained with a smile.

"You made us proud." Fred said with a fake tear. He then pulled out a small leather bag and put it on Ron's desk. "For you. Use it well, this is a one time deal."

They left fast after that. The twins couldn't stay long, they only came for one day. Ron finally got up and took the bag._'Is that candy?'_ Ran through his sleepy mind. The young man untied the strings and gasped as a large handfull of shiny gold Galleons spilled onto the floor. '!!!!!'

"Accio money!" He waved his wand, which had never left his side any more, and caught Galleons in mid air.

This was more money than Ron have ever had. He sat down and counted them three times and then tied the bag and put it in his robe pocket. The boy's heart was pounding and all kinds of crazy ideas flooded his mind. The possibilities seemed unlimited. Ron went through the day in a daze. He kept checking his pocket all the time. Late at night Ron counted his fortune one last time, put it under his pillow and fall into the heavy sleep.

The next morning was Friday the thirteenth. The young wizard woke up well rested and grabbed the money bag from under the pillow. 'Well, so it is not a leprechaun gold after all,' Ron smiled, counting them again. He knew exactly what he was going to spend his money on.

Ron put on his clothes, pocketed the precious bag and went down stairs. Luck was with him today and no-one occupied the kitchen. 'Sometimes it pays off to sleep in late' Ron thought optimistically. He grabbed a Callbook from the mantelpiece of their main fireplace and started looking for the name of the only business that dealed in the sort of thing Ron was interested in.

'Here it is, Abigail Ashworth, Custom Bracelets and Charms by the appointment only.' Ron threw a handful of floo powder into the fire and kneeled by the fireplace. He stuck his head into the flames and clearly said, "Abigail Ashworth's shop!"

His head started spinning and he felt as if his neck started becoming a mile long, while the kneeling body remained in the Burrow's kitchen. In a minute Ron's head emerged in the Custom Bracelets fireplace. He felt dizzy, his eyes shut in distress.

"How can I help you, child?" Asked a weak trembling feminine voice.

_'A child?'_ Ron opened his clear blue eyes and saw a very frail ancient witch in front of him. She was very white, from her wispy hair to very light wrinkled skin and eyes. Even her robes were yellowish white color. She looked like a mummy. Ron even thought that the White witch was blind until her strange light eyes started looking him over.

"I would like to schedule an appointment." Ron said bravely.

"For the bracelet?" She asked weakly. Ron nodded. "For yourself, your friend, enemy or lover?" She inquired. Ron was distracted by the fact that people made bracelets for their enemies.

"There is this girl...I want to ask her out..." He finally said.

"A lover." The White witch whispered, making Ron blush furiously. "You have an appointment at two o'clock today, bring a piece of her with you."

"A... piece of her?" Ron asked, not believing his ears.

"A vial of blood or a small piece of skin or a handful of hair, a cup of toenails..." She started reciting in bored monotonous voice.

"I'll bring the hair!" Ron hurriedly shouted.

"I'll see you at two o'clock, child."

The young wizard rushed back to the Burrow. That old Abigail was certainly insane, but she was absolutely the best in bracelet making. Now Ron had only two hours to get the hairs. He threw another handfull of Floo powder into the flames and said, "Hermione's Lair."

This Firecall Code was assigned to the small fireplace located in the basement of Hermione's parents house. The basement was huge and insulated and it belonged entirely to the young witch. She had numerous shelves with books and potions ingredients around the walls. In one corner Hermione set up a very decent Potions lab, in another she had a quinn size bed in the corner, a small TV and a fridge. Her main bedroom and all the clothes were still upstairs but she spent most of her time in the 'Lair'.

Ron's head made it to the Lair and he saw the object of his desire bent over a potion, stirring it with a long wooden spoon. She wore all protective gear, including goggles and dragonhide gloves. Stench in the air was nearly unbearable. The young wizard gave it a push into Burrow's fireplace and the next minute his body caught up with the head and Ron fall out of Hermione's.

"Give me a minute!" She said, not turning her head.

Ron waited, looking around. There seemed to be twice as much stuff around since he'd seen the place last summer. He knew that she's been ordering books and supplies by catalogs all year. Ron walked by bookcases, feeling a faint tingle of wards Hermione installed on them. He watched the pretty dark haired witch for a few minutes. She was definitely on the middle of something, her pink lips kept moving, counting. Finally the boy got bored and started opening drawers, looking at all the cool stuff. He couldn't identify half of potions ingredients and some things were of mysterious Muggle origin. His girl was just so smart!

A small side drawer revealed more unknown Muggle devices including a small soft plastic bag. The bag was rolled up tightly and through it Ron could see some wrinkled, dried leaves. He unrolled the bag, marveling at Muggle ingenuity, and sniffed the contents.

"Roll it back up!" Shouted a loud voice behind his back.

Ron jumped and turned to face frowning Hermione. "Are these sunflower leaves? Why do you keep those?"

"It is a vital ingredient for a PMS potion." Hermione said with an evil smile.

Ron handed the bag over immediately, not interested in THAT discussion. He watched her roll the bag carefully, she licked the edge, sealing it up and threw the thing back into the drawer.

"I just had it delivered." The girl offered as an explanation.

"It's a cool bag," Ron said, "Keeps them fresh, does it?"

"Yep, it is waterproof." Hermione took an empty bag out of the still open drawer and handed it to her friend.

"For you."

"Thanks!" Ron was pleased, "Can I use your bathroom real quick?"

"Take your time." She smirked and went back to her potion.

Ron rushed to the small bathroom she had close to the bed. There on a sink vanity was his goal: a large brush full of wavy brown hair. /i 'At least three days worth!' i He noted, very pleased. Ron removed all hair, placed it in the Muggle Plastic Bag, rolled it up and sealed with his tongue.

"I need to go, can I come back later?" He asked.

"I'll be busy till five."

Ron left for the Burrow. He had almost one hour till appointment, so the young wizard took a quick shower and dressed into the low riding blue jeans and a tight blue tee. He put a bit of mousse in his hair, brushed it and then mussed his lion's mane up to give it an attractive roughish look. _'I look damn good, there is no way she'll say 'no'.

* * *

Strictly at two o'clock Ron emerged out of the Custom Bracelets and Charms fireplace. Elderly Abigail waited for him in the small dark shop and handed the boy a few long scrolls. _

"Choose three knots." She whispered and sat at the counter, reading an old book.

Ron sat on a small dark loveseat and started reading one of the scrolls. It contained a long list of knots with descriptions and prices for each. _'Shit, some of those knots cost more then I have.'_ His eyes kept going down the list._ 'Endless devotion...Constant arousal...Hair attraction...Body hair attraction...Ewww...Feet attraction...Cash generosity...What the !!!!?'_The boy had this creepy feeling that the old Abigail was watching him instead of reading. He read not liking what he saw. His eyebrows scrunched together and Ron looked up.

"Is there a problem with selections?" She asked almost imperceptibly.

"Well...Yeah...They all are, like, love knots and all do weird things."

She extended her small wrinkled hand and the scroll flew from young wizards hands into Abigail's. "This is Giver Influence List, we can put some of the Giver's essence into the bracelet and make the Wearer to be influenced by the Giver for as long as the bracelet is worn."

"Oh, that's... I don't want to put my essence in it."

"No?"

"No."

She smiled slightly and whispered: "Try other scrolls."

Ron unrolled the next one and read the heading 'Protection list. That's better.' He started reading, liking the selections. Prices looked much better too, perhaps because these knots did not require any of Giver's essence. The boy could afford three knots with careful selection. He read through all Lists and finally got up and put a piece of parchment in front of the old witch.

In it he had written names and prices for chosen knots and a total price which left him with only four galleons. Abigail put the book away and scribbled on the bottom of the parchment:

**Silk Cords - 1g for two  
Golden clasp - 1g for one  
Final total - 123+2g125 **

_'Now I only have two galleons left,'_ the boy thought sadly.

"Do we have an agreement on Final price?"

"Yes."

The White witch pulled a colorful display of shiny flat silk cords from under the counter. "Choose your colors." She left. The young wizard loved the cords. 'They look expensive.' He was tempted to get Gryffindor red and gold, but decided against it.

The chosen colors were a light blue like his eyes and a bright red like the boy's hair. _'Something to remind of the Giver,'_ He chuckled internally. On the Contract he added **#17** and **#126** by the Silk Cords.

Abigail came back caring the small tray with three small cups and one big one and a four sets of wooden chopsticks. Ron felt like he was at the Chinese restaurant all of a sudden. He put plastic bag with Hermione's hair in front of her and watched, fascinated. It took a full hour to finish the bracelet. The girls hairs were spelled to stretch out and enter inside the cords along their entire lengths.

_' It 's like wand cores.'_ Ron noticed. The witch started making incredibly perfect knots, muttering incantations and dipping each one into a small cup of potion using chopsticks. Ron could only watch, fascinated. She made 1st, 2nd, 3rd knots and started with the 1st again. 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; 1...

#1 was a Recuperation knot. It made the Wearer to recover their lost energy, magical and otherwise, fast.

#2 was a Vibrant health which prevented the Wearer from catching any illnesses and made it easy to carry a child for the pregnant Wearer.

#3 was the most expensive. It made the Wearer unnoticeable to people with a bad intent, giving a chance to slip away from danger.

Finally, Abigail attached the golden clasp halves to both sides of the finished bracelet and dropped the entire thing into the large cup of potion.

"It needs to sit for a minute. Would you like to look at Charms?"

Ron nodded. He doubted that he could actually afford them but looking wouldn't hurt. The Charms WERE obscenely expensive, more money for one then the entire custom bracelet. Ron's eye cut the flat round one, looking like a small copper coin. He bent over and saw an emblem of St. Mungo's on it. There was no price tag.

"What is it?"

"The Emergency Portkey. It will take the Wearer to the Emergency room or will summon the Mediwizard on call to them."

"How?" The boy asked, interested.

"The Wearer needs to simply touch the Charm and think of it. It only cost two galleons and I highly recommend it." Ron ended up getting the Charm, of course. He sadly handed the money bag over and received back the most attractive piece of jewelry he had ever seen and the first one he was going to give to someone. "I'll have to warn you," Abigail said before he left. "Only the person who closes the clasp on the Wearers wrist will be the one ever able to remove it. The clasp must be sealed with a drop of Wearers blood immediately after the clasp is closed. Do you understand?"

The redheaded wizard nodded, put the bracelet into the Plastic Muggle bag, rolled it up and licked the edge.

* * *

Two little goblins had reached the side door of Leaky Cauldron. "Do you think he came?" Hermita asked 

"I think he did." They pecked each other on the lips briefly, smiled and walked in.

**End of the chapter 2**


	3. Author needs help!

**Author needs help!**

Fanfiction's search engine does not recognize me.

I type** 'madlodger'** in **'author by pen name' **and get: 'No result found. Please expand your search.' Why?

The same thing happens when I search **'Story by title'**

Well, most people would search by keywords anyway, so, I tryed to search for** 'draco harry elf slash'** in Harry Potter, English. I've got seven results and my story is not there!

It's like it does not exist!

It only shows at the** 'just in'** when I update the chapter and that list moves so fast that most people won't be able to see it before it's gone.

Does anyone know why or what I can do to make the search engine to recognize me?

**P.S.** Chapter 3 is finished and is at my Beta's. I will post it as soon as possible.

madlodger

01.30. 07


	4. The Third Goblin

**Beta:** Slashy Snitch

**Chapter warnings:** Affectionate hetero couple, Mortal illness, Unethical nurses, Earth Magic

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Third Goblin.**

A sad little Goblin sat alone at the old wooden table in the dark corner of The Leaky Cauldron. His small shoulders were hunched and his large Goblin ears drooping. An open bottle of Butterbeer in front of him was almost empty. _'They aren't coming. '_ He thought, '_They made me come here and now forgot all about me...'_

He was not actually allowed to go outside of warded perimeter of his aunt's house, but staying inside would not solve any problems. He was going to get killed, one way or another, sooner or later. Probably sooner now, since most of his magic evaporated and what remained could not be used, until the damaged internal Magical Channels had completely healed. That could take months, and months the Goblin did not have.

The Goblin lowered his ugly Goblin head into his clawed hands and spaced out. He did a lot of that lately. He might wait a bit longer, have another Butterbeer or two and floo back home. Using The Floo Network was the only travel option left, since it did not influence a person's magic anyhow and, unlike Apparition, was safe for sick people and even Squibs.

_'Squibs!'_ He darkly chuckled internally, _'Harry Potter, the Squib who Lived!'_ The Goblin downed the rest of his beer. _'Or haven't lived at all...'_ His small brown eyes filled with tears and only his will power stopped them from spilling onto the table top.

He started watching Leaky Cauldron's customers to distract himself. The place was half empty. Sad Goblin's eyes took in Tom, the bartender, a dark bar counter and, finally, stalks of 4x4 Butterbeer cases behind it. He decided to get a case before using his illegal Floo connection to get back to Privet Drive. Get to bed, get drunk out of his mind, forget...What else was out there?

"Hey, mate!" The little Goblin lifted his head, his eyes widening at the sight of a huffing and puffing Goblin couple. Thin lips twitched in amazement.

"Finally you show up."

"Sorry, mate, we, um... got held up."

Hermita and Runkill slid onto the bench opposite their friend.

"You look well." Hermione said after uncomfortable silence.

"Must be all those nutrient potions I had to take this morning." The small Goblin supplied moodily.

"Harry..."

"DON'T! It's Herald! You came up with these ridiculous names, so USE them!"

"I'm sorry...Herald..."

He huffed ._'Sorry'_ wouldn't help if someone had recognized them. _HE_ would be the target and a vulnerable one at that. Of course, Ron and Hermione were too wrapped up in each other to give others any thought.

Hermione's bottom lip trembled. Ron quietly squeezed her hand under the table. They cared about Harry more then he was willing to admit to himself. They also were the ones who saved his life on the hot Sunday, June 15, almost three weeks ago:

* * *

_Harry did not worry when he started feeling tired and dizzy after one day in Privet Drive. He was depressed and lost appetite due to horrible recent events. Dumbledore's death, Death Eaters and werewolves at Hogwarts, Horcruxes... It was too much for a young sixteen year old wizard to digest. The Order sent him back to Dursley's and instructed not to live the premises, until they regroup and come to get the Boy Savior. He didn't hear from anyone since then and found himself sitting on the bed and crying a lot. Life had taken a major turn for the worst, the boogie man had become real, the childhood had gone. _

Harry spent the next day in bed, drifting in and out of sleep. His Muggle family left him alone for the most part, pushing food into his bedroom through the cat flap door. They sensed the shift also. The vulnerable, scrawny child, left in their uncaring hands, was gone, replaced with a gloomy and dangerous wizard. He was still scrawny for his age, only reaching 5'8, but childhood innocence was stripped from his huge emerald eyes. Now they held pain and wisdom of the ancient soul.

He was unable to get out of bed by the supper time and had become unconscious in the following night, burning up in fever and sweating buckets. Aunt Petunia found him like that in the morning, when she brought him a small breakfast and decided to walk into the room and remove two days worth of plates. None of the food was even touched. Petunia tried to make her nephew drink water, at least, and forced a horse dose of aspirin down the boy's throat at his short moment of consciousness. But all was in vain. She ground her huge teeth and had grudgingly written a letter to Dumbledore, asking for help. Hedwig left with the letter and did not return.

* * *

Ron and Hermione were kissing gently, lying side by side on the bed in the Hermione's Lair. Leaflets from Magical Dwelling Building course lay around them forgotten. Finally they disconnected their tingling lips and smiled, looking at each other. Going steady for only two days was the best experience ever. "What are we going to do about Harry's tuition? He did not send an answer and the class begins tomorrow." Hermione asked, looking at Ron's full pink lips. She already paid her and Ron's part, thanks to her loving parents, but Harry did not write or sent any money yet.

"I still think that it's a bad idea for Harry to go." Ron said.

"No one will know it's us! We are enrolled under different names and will be Polyjuiced into random Wizards with different Magical Signatures. You know that they'll just make him stay at the Dursley's until he is of age anyway."

Ron sighed and sat up, picking up a colorful Build Your Dream leaflet. It read:

**_Welcome to the Magical Dwelling Building course. Classes begin on Monday, June 16, strictly at 9:00 am. - 6:00 pm, five days a week. Over the four week period the class will cover:  
Week one - Foundations and Power Point balance; Week two - Walls, Stairs and Roofs; Week three - Magical insulation and waterproofing; Week four - Household Amenities (HA), Introduction; End of course tests;  
This class is prerequisite for:  
Advanced Household Amenities (AHA); Gardens and Fences; Modern Take on Decorating; Locks and Wards, basic and advanced;  
All fees must be payed in full before first class._**

"You don't really want to become a homebuilder, are you?" Ron wandered.

"Nope. But I really need it to enroll in Wards."

"This is really intense. I didn't plan to sit in the classroom all summer." Ron said sadly.

"It will be fun and four weeks only! And I will be there with you, if that counts."

"It does count! But maybe we should study Defense instead?"

Hermione sat up too and gave Ron a stern look, "You _DO_ know that my home has only basic wards? And what I had to _BEG_ the Order to get even that much? The same goes for most Muggleborns. We all are in danger here. My parents _ARE_ Muggles and nobody cares! I'll tell you what - I will have this place fully warded and unplottable before August and I hope that that is not too late!" She was almost shouting in the end and Ron cringed, thankful for Silencing Charms around the bed. "We can still practice Defense after the class!" She added.

"There won't be any free time at all then!" Ron complained, watching his own hands twirl the leaflet.

Hermione sighed with exasperation, took Ron's chin in her hand carefully and lifted it to look into the boy's eyes. Intense, sparkling with gold, brown met clear blue. "War is at our doors, Ronald," She said in an even, quiet voice, "It is already happening, and we are not ready. We doodle around too much. There will not be _ANY_ free time when it happens. And no food. And deaths. You must be able to create at least a basic shelter and ward it, so you could sleep. We all can die tomorrow. So, stop wasting time."

Ron shuddered and paled, as his girlfriend's true words penetrated to a very core of his being. He grabbed Hermione and squeezed her small curvy body in a bear hug, wrinkling her silk summer dress. "I will die before letting anything happen to you. I love you!" He cried into her brown, bushy hair, inhaling his girl's intoxicating scent. "I'll do whatever it takes, I promise! We'll be together and we won't die!"

Hermione hugged him around his firm waist tightly and trembled. "I love you too, Ron." She whispered into his broad chest.

They held each other for a few minutes, hearts beating in unison, before reluctantly separating and climbing off the bed.

"Let's go talk to Harry now." Ron said.

"We can't just show up..."

"And why not?"

"His family... We'll get him in trouble. Could we owl him first?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"You know, I am sick of this, Hermione. We are not kids anymore, they can't treat him like that!"

"Well, I suppose, it is a normal thing for friends to drop over every now and then..." She had to agree.

"Let's go, then."

They hugged each other and Apparated from the Lair into a small park near Harry's house. _'Merlin, no Antiapparition wards on her house,'_ Ron realized, as Hermione's previous words rang true. This would be unthinkable at the Burrow, Weasley family might not be wealthy, but they had superior Wards installed. He started considering talking to his Dad about this. Hermione could be safe at the Burrow. She could move into the Percy's old room temporarily... Yeah, Ron liked that idea more and more, as they walked towards Dursley's house.

The house was nice and clean looking, surrounded by luscious flowerbeds. They walked to the door; Hermione put a pleasant smile on her face and rang the doorbell. Petunia Dursley opened the door almost immediately and looked them both over. Wave of recognition and immediate dislike came across her horse-like features.

"Took you long enough!" She spouted through her perched lips.

"Huh?!?"

"You should have come two days ago, took your time, didn't you?" Petunia asked puzzled magical couple in front of her.

"Mrs. Dursley..." Hermione started, as alarms started going off in her head. Something wasn't right around here.

"Just go upstairs and take care of it!" Harry's aunt caught her off impatiently and moved to the side to let them in.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with raised eyebrows, but did not argue. They walked in and upstairs, curiously looking around. The house was really very nice. Petunia followed them closely, not taking her wary eyes off their backs, as if at any moment they would explode the place. She stopped and motioned at the door of Harry's room. "Just go in now." She said, not planning on entering the room herself.

Ron carefully cracked it open and picked inside. The next moment they both run in, horrified. Their friend was thrashing in his small single bed, eyes closed, mumbling deliriously. His wrinkled sheets were sticky wet and covered in dark stains, sickly stench in the air. But that was not the worst of it. The worse part was the faint neon-like light surrounding the boy's prone, small body. It looked like magic in it's pure form and kept flickering, distorting Harry's pale features like a bad TV. The crackling non-stop sound, like paper being wrinkled and torn from time to time, made the skin crawl down Ron and Hermione's backs.

Hermione made a desperate sound and lunged towards Harry, her arms outstretched. Ron grabbed her hard and pushed his girlfriend behind his back. "Don't come close!" He shouted. Hermione was gasping and pushing. Ron took her wrist and raised it to her eyes, shoving the bracelet in front of the girls face. "Get the Mediwizard!" His voice was hysterical. Hermione put her hand on the small St. Mungo's charm and closed her eyes. In five seconds the door bell rang, the House Wards not allowing the Mediwizard to Apparate inside Harry's home.

The old, tall Mediwizard was let in by Petunia. She brought him into her nephew's room, closed the door behind and left. Ron's eyes were on Harry while Hermione watched the healer intently. The healer's sharp beady eyes took in the picture and she saw them narrow. _'Not good,'_ she thought. The Mediwizard's attention was completely on the patient; he stepped to the bed and cast series of diagnostic spells. The crackle in the air intensified. With dread, Hermione saw the man's face turning chalk-white.

"The Dragon Pox!" he announced gravelly.

Ron gasped as if he was shot. Hermione saw her boyfriend's big blue eyes staring at the healer, a hand covering his mouth. Ron turned as white as the healer now. Brown freckles became clearly visible on his long nose. "At least four days!" He croaked out.

"Fuck!" The Healer shouted extremely unprofessionally, "Isolation Ward, now!"

"Privacy!" Ron said urgently.

The Healer waved his wand and Harry's body was levitated off the bed and wrapped in sheets head to toe. Hermione knew that something horrible has happened. The Dragon Pox was a terrible disease but wizards could cure it to her knowledge.

"The patient's name?"

Ron opened his mouth but Hermione beat him to it. "Ron Weasley!" she said loudly.

Harry was taken to St. Mungo's second floor's Isolation Ward under Ron's name and a team of four Mediwizards worked ten hours straight, before the illness was stopped. Ron and Hermione were checked over in another room and cleared for any disease. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rushed in and they all waited for a verdict on Harry's health.

When the verdict came, it was terrible. 67 of Magical Channels in his body were completely destroyed and remaining 33 badly damaged and brittle. He entered into a magical coma and would remain in it for a few days, following which he would be banned from doing any kind of magic for at least six months, until remaining Channels healed.

The rehabilitation could begin then, but, even though Harry still had more Channels then a common Muggle or Squib, he would be able to do only basic spells. He would have to get a new wand also, probably a training model, like what Wizarding children get.

* * *

Harry came back to consciousness slowly. He hanged suspended in the darkness; strange noise, like waves of the ocean, was the first thing he became aware of. Strangely, his body was missing, or, if it was not the case, then he just couldn't feel it. Harry concentrated on the noise, which sounded clearer and louder by the minute. The boy could make out different people talking now. '

_'Dudley left his TV on again,'_ he figured, _'It must be really late.'_

"Blah, blah blah...Blah blah... fully dilated pupils," the confident professional male voice said.

Something bright nearly blinded Harry. _'What the hell?'_ The light was gone, leaving floating light spots in the darkness. Harry felt slight fathom of pains appearing where, he imagined, his knees and elbows should be.

"Absolutely no reflexes," the voice continued, "the patient becomes a virtual vegetable without any conscious thought process whatsoever."

That was taking it a bit too far! Harry got a bit agitated. They were talking about him, he surmised, and he DID have a conscious thought process. In fact, that was the only thing he had right now.

"The patient will remain in this state for about a week, after which he shall resume his alertness."

"Is there any treatment for the patient while in this condition?" Another man asked in a respectful whiny voice.

"Just basic body maintenance from now on, we are finished here. He can be moved to the Isolation Holding Unit."

Harry heard a few more people talking, they were leaving the room.

_'Mediwizards... I must be ill...Why so many?' _Sound of the door closing.

Silence. Door opens again.

"Is it him?"

"Err, Ronald Weasley, seventeen years old, magical coma, moving to Iso Hold...Yep, it's him"

"So young, pity."

Harry nearly jumped out of his non-existing skin. _'Ron is here!?! Ron is in a coma!?! In this same room, how?'_ He strained to move, strained to open his eyes but it didn't work. The young wizard felt slight pressure where his body should be; strange smells and noises started moving by; light started flickering through his non-existing eye lids._'I am being moved,'_ he thought. _'What about Ron?'_ He was left alone in the darkness again and started panicking. _'Where the hell am I? Not Dursley's, for sure. And where is Ron? SOMEBODY, HELP ME!!!'_

He was alone forever, the light slowly came on. _'Morning...'_ Slight pressure was felt on his back. _'The bed...'_ He wandered if he was paralyzed from his neck down. Sound of the door opening, light steps, rustle; slight pressure applied to the missing right hand.

"Harry, oh, Harry!"

_'Ginny!'_

"I am so sorry!"

_'Please, don't cry!'_

"I love you, no matter what. I'll take care of you, don't you worry."

_'But we broke up...'_

Ginny kept crying. Harry felt a bit of warmth on his hand and realized that she was slobbering all over it. Being helpless really sucked! Harry started hanging to every word she said, trying to find out what was going on with him and Ron, but all in vane. He knew it was bad, though.

Harry still felt guilty about their recent break-up. He told her that he did it for her safety, it was too dangerous to be a famous Harry Potter's girlfriend. Partially that happened to be true. But only partially. Weasley's were Dark Lord's targets no matter what. The real truth was that the relationship turned out to be a failure.

Harry really tried. He was attentive, hugged and kissed Ginny a lot and spent a lot of time together. But he found being together more and more boring and caught himself anticipating the time apart more and more. Kisses and hugs felt nice and comforting, but not spectacular or earth shuddering. That was a total failure and, combined with the previous failure with Cho Chang, which took a lot of time to recover from, by the way, Harry started believing himself to be asexual.

The best part about being with Ginny was not even physical, but more her devotion, attention and companionship. Ginny was clever and funny and came up with funniest pranks, not unlike Fred and George's. She did remind him of the wicked twins, whom Harry sorely missed. Harry was admittedly very lonely and felt like a failure.

The young wizard was still a virgin at almost seventeen years old; he didn't even have wet dreams, since all his dreams were being blocked to prevent nightmares. He'd wake up with a 'morning wood' almost every day and take care of it alone in Gryffindor showers, before anyone woke up. It was mostly done for relief, no fantasies crossed his mind except, maybe, about Quidditch. Never about Cho or Ginny, two most attractive girls in their respective years. It had to be war-related stress taking it's toll.

Ginny left after her long crying session and Harry would of sighed in relief, if he still had his lungs. He was alone till evening. Ron and Hermione came to visit after the first day of Dwelling Building class. Ron was not hurt after all! Harry could sing from joy!

Ron had a total nervous breakdown at the sight of his comatose friend. He started crying, like a baby. Harry felt slight pressure on his right wrist, followed by warmth again. _'Why is everyone crying into that hand?'_ Harry wandered uncomfortably. People did touch his right hand a lot, probably because it was closest to the door. _'It needs to get sanitized...'_

"Ron, stop it! Stop, please." Hermione begged him in a broken voice.

"You don't understand! It's all my fault! Mine!"

"How could it be! You did not get him infected."

Harry's ears perked up, finally he was going to find out what exactly had happened to him.

"It is! I should of known, I should of checked on it!" Ron bawled, holding his sick friend's hand.

"Checked on what, precisely?"

"His shots! He was never given his shots as a baby, Hermione!" Ron wailed loudly and the warmth on Harry's hand increased. "What kind of a friend am I, not to check on a basic thing like that."

Harry heard rustle, felt some movements. Ron's crying came out muffled now and Harry's hand was left alone.

"Stop it! It was not your job, Ronald. Adults were in charge of Harry and they failed."

"What about YOU? Did you have yours?"

"Aww! STOP SHAKING ME NOW!" Hard breathing. Hermione started talking in a calmer voice then: "I had all my shots at eleven years old."

"What?"

"My Hogwarts letter came, so my parents replied. They requested a counselor for me. My Dad questioned them about Magical world and that is how we found out what to do. I had all shots at ones before my First Year; it made me sick for two weeks."

"Merlin, your parents are Muggles and they figured it out! Harry's family were wizards."

"You can't have shots before two years of age, you know that. He lived with his aunt by then."

"But Dumbledore was in charge! What about McGonagall? Pomfrey is a nurse, for crying out loud! They fucking failed and so did I." They left after Ron calmed down. Harry lied alone, thinking. So, he got infected with some magical germs, most likely at Dumbledore's funeral. Some sort of permanent damage was caused. He'll deal with that, he'll lift weights and drink potions to regain strength.

There is no way Ginny will be looking after him. The boy wondered if he still had bodily functions. Of course, he may lay in a pile of poop and not even feel it. Late at night the nurse came. _'Ah, the 'body maintenance'_. She had actually spoken to him, informing the boy about spells before using them. He was efficiently spell - cleaned, outside and internally. Maintenance spells felt like a light breeze. His bowels and bladder got emptied, ears, mouth and nose cleaned and even nails clipped. All of that was done without touching his body even ones, purely by magic.

Harry felt grateful, being a very private person. That night he slept. This became a routine for the next six days. Ginny would come in the morning, sometimes with her parents. Ron and Hermione - in the evening after class. Not a single person from The Order, except for Molly and Arthur, had visited the comatose boy.

The kind nurse took care of him at night. He listened to people talk around him, bored. The young wizard started getting more and more in touch with his body, his senses returning with every passing day. It was only a matter of time to regain control fully and start moving. He began craving soft-boiled eggs with a pinch of salt and a piece of dry toast. And some orange juice... Being comatose just isn't fun.

* * *

Harry waited for the nightly visit of his nurse on the sixth night. She must of had a day off, since two chirping nurses entered instead.

"Oh, look, it's _Him_!"

"It's true, then."

"You sure, _He_ looks about fifteen?"

"I am positive. See the scar."

Harry felt a warm breath on his face. They were getting way too close! And he did not look fifteen!

"Wow! It's real."

They actually touched his forehead, more then once.

"_He_ is so adorable, look at those eyelashes."

"Look at those lips! You know..." She started whispering, they both giggled. Harry heard the warding spell being put on the door. That was not good. What are they up to? What if these nurses serve Voldemort? It would be so easy to AK him right now. He'll never reach seventeen... The single bed dipped on one side, someone sat close, hot breath wafted on the boy's face. Harry braced himself for the inevitable death. Hot lips pressed to the boy's mouth instead.

_'Oh my god! A total fucking stranger is kissing me. Oh, no, now she is licking me.'_ He could feel everything, but was unable to move.

"No one will ever believe I kissed _Him_!" The young nurse gasped excitedly.

"Yeah, that's because you are spelled to never mention _Him_ being here!" They giggled again, then switched places. Harry's face was taken between two soft hands and a second assault on his lips began. The second nurse acted more boldly. She actually pressed down on his chin with her fat thumbs, making the helpless boy's mouth open. Her soft wet tongue entered his mouth, flicking around.

_'Liver and onions! Oh, god!'_ Harry wanted to barf.

"You don't think _He_ can feel this?"

"No, _He_ is completely out. But _He_ is due to wake up any day now."

_'That just proves how much you know about your job! Go read a textbook.'_ Harry felt very angry. The nurse's pudgy hand caressed his face.

"This is our only chance, really..."

"Oh, you are so bad!"

Mad giggling. "I am doing it! Are you staying?"

More giggling. _'What are you up to? Stop it!.'_

He found out _what_ the next minute, as the hospital blanket was lifted off his body and cool air rushed in. _'Ahhh!'_ He wore only a thin knee-length hospital gown now.

"So small! Like a china doll! "

_'More like a puppet.'_

"It's hard to believe that he fought You Know Who."

"Do you think that _He_ is small everywhere?" The same fat fingers caressed Harry's leg, slowly moving up and just under the hem of the boy's gown.

_'What? No, stop it!'_

"You ARE bad!"

"It's now or never."

Slowly, the light cloth moved up Harry's legs, lifting and bunching up above his belly button. Harry could die from mortification. He was naked from his waist down and could literally feel nurses eyes burning into his defenseless flesh.

The boy who showered alone even after Quidditch games, waiting for his teammates to leave first! The boy who's young was never exposed to female eyes. There were two of them now, ogling his most private part like two vultures. And the young wizard did not even know their names or what they looked like. This had officially become 'The Most Embarrassing Day of The Boy Who Lived'. Harry was prepared listen to them to start laughing next. Only heavy breathing could be heard in the room.

"Well," one of them said breathlessly, "I think that we found The Secret Weapon."

"Merlin, he is perfect!" In a sort of strangled voice, "It's the best one I've EVER seen!"

"That would make it the best in England!"

"Oh, shut up!" They chuckled nervously.

Harry couldn't understand what was so great about it. He loved his , of course. He loved it's heavy feel in his strong 'wanking' hand. But he didn't get to see too many other man's privates to make a comparison.

Harry had wandered into Dudley's secret stash of porn magazines last summer and attempted to compare himself to a few pictures of naked men, whose bodies weren't obscured by a huge female ass or tits. They looked about the same like him. Well, his body was a bit scrawnier, but Harry was still expecting his last growth spurt, when his body would catch up with his and he'd be able to walk into the public shower with a confident smile.

"I bet, he tastes as good as he looks..."

Harry gasped inside at realization that he was about to be molested even worse. _'No! It's supposed to be special! Not with you!'_

If only he could open his eyes, if only he could move; he wanted to hex them so badly; nothing... _nothing_, not even his heart rate would go up. Hot pants of air were tickling Harry's black pubic hair now. He just knew that that air tasted of liver and onions. _'I swear, I'll wake up and hex your boobs off, Liverbreath!!!'_

"Too bad _He_ has lost his magic."

A ton of bricks falling on his head could not have shocked the young wizard more. Her voice kept ringing in his head:

_'Lost his magic... Lost his magic...'_

He didn't hear the door ward the nurses placed on his door to go off and them covering him up and scramming. He did not get molested THAT way and he did not receive his normal body maintenance that night either. It didn't matter.

_'Lost his magic... Lost...'_

Harry opened his eyes the next morning, just after sunrise.

* * *

"Herald! The food is here."

Hermione's voice brought Harry back to reality. _'I need to stop spacing out so much. Wonder what we were talking about...'_ He thought distractedly.

"So, are you going?"

"Going where?" He asked carefully. He DID miss a large part of the conversation, judging by her raised eyebrows.

"Forbidden Forest, Saturday, next week. Our last tests are next Friday, remember?"

He remembered. He would be taking those tests with his friends if it wasn't for Dragon Pox. Harry and Hermione discussed the Magical Dwelling Building course last autumn, when she applied for early enrollment qualifier. He was interested in Wards also, feeling that his knowledge lacked in that area. The class was held only twice a year and hard to get into. Harry knew, that he would never be able to qualify for it now. It was one more thing, reminding him of the chasm between himself and a wizarding world.

Harry felt that chasm the day he woke up from magical coma. He was surrounded by people, tested, poked at and, finally, released into his family's care. A few Order members escorted the thin, pale boy home through the one-time Floo connection. They hardly spoken to him or looked him in the eye. He was left at home with a box full of med-potions and a detailed list of instructions on taking them. They confiscated his wand also.

The Weasley family was outraged by this treatment and Arthur came to take the boy to the Burrow that very same day. Harry declined the offer, of course. Mr. Weasley had to accept it. He came back the next day with a couple of friends and they installed an illegal Floo hook-up. It was undetectable and set, using Blood Magic, that only Harry could use it.

"Come to the Burrow at any time, Harry, day or night." Arthur had said before leaving. "You don't need a reason."

"So, why do we need to go to the Forbidden Forest again?

"You really need to snap out of it! I just spent ten minutes talking about this. I should of brought the Concentration potion for you."

"Ha, ha, I am on a Potion Schedule and not supposed to mix them with others."

"You mix them with alcohol all right."

Harry blushed purple, noticing the second empty beer bottle in front of him. He didn't remember opening or drinking it. He picked up his kidney pie and sank his teeth into the meaty goodness in embarrassment. Ron chuckled at him through his own huge mouthful.

"Well, anyway, we are going to check out the Stronghold Powerpoint. It's the only one Doublepoint in the country."

Harry wrinkled his eyebrows at the Doublepoint.

"Two Stronghold points at close proximity? Hogwarts is built on one and the other is in the Forest? I swear, I have no idea how any of you had passed your OWLs."

"Hey, I know about Powerpoints!" Ron said indignantly.

"Sure, because they were covered in the Building class. We learned about the Grid in the third year, so what you know. Magical Theory class, if it rings the bell."  
It did sound familiar. "Earth Magic, right?" Harry asked.

"Finally we see the light!" Hermione smiled. "Seriously, you've been using Earth Magic all your lives and remain so ignorant of the source."

"What do you mean - _'using'_? I was using my own Magic, right?"

"Are you kidding? There is no such thing as _'one's own Magic'_! It's all Earth Magic in every living being. Wizards just have more channels it runs through. Come on, even Magical plants are the same, they have more channels than regular ones. That was covered in Herbology AND Potions. Remember?"

"Um..."

"Ron?"

"Sure, I remember. All living things have those, the more you have, the longer you live. That's why our lifespans are twice as long as Muggle ones" Ron smiled, proud of his knowledge.

Harry paled at that. Hermione's eyes flushed at Ron angrily like two brown lightnings.

"Are you saying... My life is shorter now?" Harry whispered nervously.

"Just a little bit," Hermione answered gently, "You are still a wizard."

Harry lost interest in his food and sat there, staring down at the table. "I've lost two thirds." He said finally. "Why do you even want me to go to Forbidden Forest, when I am of no use to anybody?"

"You are not going to be of USE," Ron said firmly, "You are going because you are our FRIEND and we LOVE you. No Dragon Pox can change that."

"You are still going, right?" Hermione asked carefully.

"I don't want to Polyjuice into a Goblin anymore."

"You have to. I can send you a half hour potion, so it won't be for long. We just need to walk through Hogsmeade to the forest and get on our brooms."  
Harry's small shoulders drooped. "I can't fly." He said sadly in a very quiet voice.

"You can with Ron. And you will again when you'll get better, I promise."

Harry forced a smile on his thin goblin lips and nodded. His friends were very decent people. He should be grateful. He'll tag along for their sakes, so they would feel good about their handicapped friend.

The boy's sad goblin eyes returned to the stalks of Butterbeer cases. _'Asexual, lonely, squib,'_ he tallied in detachment, _'With a short lifespan...'_

**END OF THE THIRD CHAPTER.****  
**


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